Hector Quay work begins

Preliminary
work has started at the Hector Quay in Pictou to begin the ‘Great Big Lift’
which will see the Ship Hector lifted from the harbour by crane to begin
necessary repairs. The goal is to have the wooden vessel ‘ship shape’ by 2023,
in time for the 250th anniversary of the arrival of Scottish
settlers to Pictou in the original Hector.

To get the
Hector out of the water and on blocks to start the restoration work — Phase One
of the entire restoration project — will cost in the vicinity of $250,000. The
Ship Hector Society has secured a loan through NOBL for “the Great Big Lift”
and has requested financial support from the municipal units of Pictou County.

The work
was due to begin in April, but public health restrictions surrounding the
COVID-19 pandemic has meant the work has to be pushed off until later in June.